


Let the Root One In

by for_t2



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Battlestar Galactica Fusion, Alternate Universe - Blade Runner Fusion, Alternate Universe - Cube, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blockbuster - Freeform, Bus Stop, Doctor Sameen Shaw, F/F, Military Training, Minor Injuries, Pandemics, Random & Short, Science Fiction, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28696734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_t2/pseuds/for_t2
Summary: Ten different universes in which Root and Shaw might have met in ten (not necessarily) different ways
Relationships: Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Let the Root One In

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: if you haven't watched the last two seasons of Battlestar Galactica yet, this does contain a fairly major spoiler

**1.**

It was all about the eyes.

And the eyes of the grinning lunatic who had Shaw zip-tied to a chair were definitely not the eyes of a replicant. Which was a minor and slightly unexpected problem.

"I've been reading your file." The... well, Shaw didn't quite know who she was, rested her arms on Shaw's knees. "You're a very interesting person, Sameen. Especially for a detective."

Shaw scoffed (as much as she could, anyway, given the lingering after-effects of the taser). If someone was capable of hacking into the Department and someone was interfering with her hunt of the replicants, then she would've assumed one of the Corporations. "I think they left out the part where I like this kind of thing."

"Oh, Sameen." Problem was, her captor didn't quite seem stable enough for that. "Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a replicant? To be subjected to one of your tests?" And, okay, maybe Shaw was just a little bit worried. "Are you ready to have some fun?"

**2.**

Shaw may have died once, but she wasn't planning on dying again. Not for real, not in a gringy underground bunker, and especially not at hands of Samaritan. And, for that matter, she wasn't going to let Reese or Finch suffer that fate either.

Unfortunately, being cornered in a solid mass of concrete under several dozen metres of earth doesn't exactly lead itself to a plethora of escape options. And having the only exit being covered by several dozen Samaritan agents didn't really lead to any viable fighting options either. Which meant-- 

Shaw didn't have time to finish strategising before the bullet ripped through her shoulder.

Before Samaritan's most obsessively sadistic agent stepped past Greer and right towards Finch. "Really, Harry, did you honestly think you could stop a god?"

Shaw tried to scramble for her gun, but a boot heel dug itself right into her wound before she could get close.

"Don't worry, Sameen." Root crouched down to whisper in her ear. "We'll have plenty of time to play later."

**3.**

"Are you a vampire?"

Root tilted her head slightly, as if to get a better look at Shaw. "Do I look like a vampire."

Shaw snorter. Root was thin, pale, and only came out at night. And there was just something about her that gave off a sense of creeping. Not that Shaw got scared of anything. "Yes."

Root took a step through the snowy playground, moving even closer to Shaw. "And what will your classmates think about you dating a vampire?"

Shaw had promised her mum not to fight her classmates. Even when they attacked her first. It was a stupid rule. "I don't care."

As snowflakes drifted down from the cold night sky between them, Root grinned, just the edge of a fang glinting through the darkness. "Then yes, Sameen, I am a vampire."

**4.**

There were times when Shaw almost had second thoughts about joining the army. It had seemed like a logical decision - she was good at fighting and the idea of killing didn't really bother her, even if she'd rather be a doctor.

Not that being a doctor was an option anymore. For maybe a week, she had thought she might be able to serve as a combat medic (she had the skills, after all), but her superiors had taken one look at her gun practices and decided that she had better skills.

Maybe they weren't wrong.

But the training for the marines was grueling. And Shaw wasn't sure she liked the way her superiors kept muttering about how good she was at being discrete. It sounded confidential. It sounded like... 

There was someone in the middle of the path of her morning run through the base. Someone who she didn't recognise, who definitely didn't look like a soldier (esp. in that uniform), and who had what looked suspiciously like a computer plugged into the base's computers.

There was something so brazen about the set-up, it took Shaw off-guard. "What are you doing?"

The intruder smiled and (very) unsubtlely let her eyes wander over Shaw. "Oh, I'm just hacking into the American military to steal some top secret weapon designs." She then added, almost as an afterthought, "I'm getting paid a lot of money for them."

Yes, Shaw imagine, you would get paid a lot. "I'm going to have to shoot you."

"You can shoot me anytime." The intruder winked (badly) at her. Then tased her before Shaw could draw her gun. "Call me Root."

**5.**

Each time the ship rocked with a burst of gunfire, Shaw managed to find a way to pick up the pace a little more. She wasn't going to let what was left of humanity fall to some tin-can robots.

She just needed to get the frakking music out of her head first.

It wasn't bad music, but it was persistent music, it was music that was pulling her, leading her towards... 

"Root?"

Root may have been the fleet's top scientist, but she had a slightly tendancy towards what could generously be described as manic instability. Especially when it involved robots. And if Root was here... "You can hear it too?"

Shaw still didn't trust her, but if ever there was a good time to pragmatic, it was now. "What it is?"

"I don't know." Root's eyes wandering across the empty cargo hold (passing by Shaw more than once). "But it's coming from... Oh."

Root grinned at the sight of Admiral Finch stumbling into the hold, Reese right behind him. "Miss Shaw? Miss Groves?" And they both looked confused. "Please don't tell me--"

Their eyes all went wide when it hit them all at the same time.

They weren't just fighting Cylons. They were Cylons.

**6.**

"Mmm, I can't wait for you to stick your--"

"Root." Shaw growled at the most annoying patient she had ever had. She had barely started her residency when the virus hit, and by this point, she was utterly exhausted. Even if Root did make (very) good on her flirting, Shaw wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Not today. "Don't."

"Sorry." Root pouted, but she seemed sincere enough. "I'll get out of your way soon."

"I didn't mean to shout at you." Shaw wasn't really one for habits, especially not when they involved other people, but one morning she had arrived at the hospital to start her shift wondering what overly dramatic injury Root would be showing up with that day that Shaw would need to patch up (without asking questions). And a few days later she had realised that she was looking forward to it. Root really knew how to push her buttons. "I'm just tired."

"I know." Root's tone went deadly serious. "If there's anything you need, anything the hospital needs, money, supplies, security... Just let me know."

Shaw wasn't sure what exactly it was that Root did, but she was pretty sure it was highly illegal. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that I'm not usually very good code, Shaw, but you're the best doctor I've ever had." Root winced as Shaw started examining her wound. ""I'm not going to lose you."

**7.**

"I told you Shaw," Reese ducked back under the shelves as another flurry of bullets flew their way. "It's not my fault the number decided to turn himself into a perp."

"I hope you're not saying it's my fault, John." Neither of them were looking forward to having to update Finch when comms came back online. "Because I'm not the one who got distracted by the number's sister."

"Kelly is a professional seamstress." Reese brushed the shattered DVDs off his suit. "Your sandwiches aren't professional."

"Hey!" Now that was fighting dirty. "You know what, forget about it. Let's just blame Fusco."

Shaw reloaded her gun. Rolled to the side and...

And nobody was firing back at her. The video store ("New York's Finest Alternative to Netflix") was in tatters, but it was silent.

So Shaw crept forward.

Came face to face with... With someone rifling through the bodies, a taser in hand, and humming an annoyingly cheerful song. "Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" The stranger looked up as Reese wandered round to join Shaw in pointing his gun at her. "I'm just a concerned third party." The stranger grinned as she held up the tape they were trying to protect (the one with the 1980s biological weapons research).

Shaw inched towards her. "That's our tape."

"That's my line," Reese whined.

"Reese, concentrate!" Shaw tried to whisper angrily at him.

"Yeah, Reese, concentrate." The stranger was grinning far too much for Shaw's liking. "Because I think that's your number who's running right towards a squad of Russian mafia."

"Shit!" Reese and Shaw both spun around to see that it was indeed their number who was trying to escape by running away into mortal danger. "Okay, you take..."

And by the time they looked back, the stranger was gone (with their tape).

"How the hell are we going to explain this to Finch?"

**8.**

"I must object to allowing a known criminal and murderer access to a Federation starship." Captain Finch's voice was rising quickly. "Especially one who's kidnapped me! Twice!"

Shaw didn't like it either. She had fought enough Cardassians in her lifetime to know never to trust one. Especially one who was so good at hacking and infiltrating. Unfortunately, the war with the Dominion was not going well. "Do we have any better options?"

"As much as I hate to say it," Reese sounded exhausted, and Shaw had seen enough of the recent smuggling issues with Leon's bar to know that it wasn't just the war causing it. 'But I think Shaw's right. We need her."

For a moment, Finch said nothing. "Very well then, call her in. But don't be surprised when things go--"

The known criminal and murdered (and kidnapper) in question chose just that moment to slide through the ready room's doors uncalled for. "There's a rumour going around the station that you're looking for me, Captain Harry."

And, of course, she was dressed in yet another ridiculous getup. "What are you supposed to be now, Root?"

"I'm just a simple tailor, Sameen," Root practically draped herself on the table, much to both Finch and Reese's discomforts. "One who happens to know exactly how to find a hidden Cardassian war station."

Shaw sighed. Finch was right. Things were already going wrong.

**9.**

"And that's what's so beautiful about it! There's not even a single line of bad code."

Of all the things Shaw hated, late buses were already one before she got stuck waiting next to someone who seemed to enjoy starting conversations unprompted and just wouldn't shut up. Especially when the person in question was halfway through munching loudly on her second apple in the last ten minutes.

"Of course, there's some researchers who disagree, but that's why they work at second-rate universities, isn't it?" Even her laugh was annoying. "I mean, what type of serious scientist thinks that A.I. can be programmed to just-- 

"Oh look, the bus is here." Shaw jumped up the moment she caught a glimpse of the headlights. "Been great talking to you."

To absolute horror, the irritating apple-muncher smiled. "It really has." And for a moment, Shaw imagine the horror of having to endure her through the entire bus ride. "You should come over for supper some time. My wife would love to hear your opinions on Braess's Paradox."  


It took every bit of Shaw's discipline not to laugh. She was an undercover operative on behalf of a top-secret military agency, not a friendly new acquaintance, and definitely not a friend.

"I'll introduce you now." The apple-muncher waved at one of the people who had just gotten off the bus. "Hanna! I want you meet Sameen, she has the most fascinating perspective on..."

Shaw, fortunately, was able to use the opportunity to slip onto the bus without being noticed and without having to hear exactly what her "fascinating perspective" entailed.

Sometimes she really hated doing undercover work. Sometimes, it was better just to call in hammer time. 

Either way, she forced herself to breath. To focus. She was on a mission. She had people to kill.

**10.**

Not feeling emotions the same way as normal people had its advantages at times. And waking up inside of a brightly lit series of cubes connected to each other with no plausible explanation why was one of those times.

Not to mention the bit where one of the other people Shaw had woken up with had tried to go through to the next cube and had promptly been decapitated. 

There was only one other person who didn't seem to be bothered. Who even seemed excited. "You're taking this well." 

"I knew it." She laughed. "I told them aliens existed and they laughed at me." 

Admittedly, Shaw couldn't rule out the possibility that she was taking it well because she was insane. "Aliens, huh?" 

"It could also be artificial intelligence. Or the C.I.A. Or both. Probably both, but this type of technology isn't human." 

"Hmm." It was an... interesting perspective, but Shaw had to admit that it might not be a terrible one. And either way, she could sense that they weren't getting out of here if they didn't work together. "I'm Shaw." 

"Root." She giggled before walking towards the passage into the next cube. "This is going to be the best fun I've ever had."  


They were trapped and in mortal danger. Root had a point. Shaw grinned and hurried after her. This was going to be fun.


End file.
